The agreement, by which the Goodman Gallery will remove the painting, was announced on Wednesday by Zuma's governing African National Congress and the gallery director at a news conference in Johannesburg. The gallery said it "regrets the pain that the display of the painting has caused".

The gallery's director, Liza Essers, said the painting, called The Spear, will also be removed from the gallery website as a gesture of goodwill.

Two men defaced the image last week as Zuma and the ANC brought the case to court.